Here is the state of play at the moment.We know that there will be a number of events (see list below). We also know that funders haven't got their act together yet. For some it is questionable if they will. We have a 'Plan B' which is that if funders don't get their act together we will run something on a private site. This may require participants to put in some money (€20-30) for the weekend to cover the site and associated services.Here is the list of dates:

April 11-13 (Friday to Sunday) Killaloe. Focus on the troops gathering for war, Living history and combat. Funder local community with multiple county councils etc, nothing certain at this stage (to say the least - I'm involved in this one for my troubles).

April 17-21 (Holy Thursday to Easter Monday) Clontarf, St Anne's Park. Funder Dublin City Council. Provider TBC. They are running an information gathering exercise which ends on 24th August. After that is a tender process etc before a provider is selected. All about the Battle.

Anniversary date - nothing yet

April 24-27 (Thursday to Sunday) Swords - Brian Ború in state prior to being removed to Armagh and somewhere else. Primarily Living History. Funder Fingal County Council. AFAIK this is at an advanced stage.

TBC, possibly after Swords but they want it in April (Weekend) Armagh - Primarily living history event. Funder is local council. Funding confirmed.

TBC Cashel. They want something but have made no commitment either way. Would make sense to have it either before Clontarf (as ever in conflict with Killaloe) or parallel to Armagh as part of body ended up there.

We have pushed hard at every opportunity making it clear that we are already late to get anyone to attend from overseas. They simply don't get it. This pushing hard goes as far as meetings at ministerial level etc so we aren't sitting on laurels.

OK. That's what I was after. Didn't want to book the trip for the wrong dates. For some reason I thought Killaloe was June. So I need to get there before 11April and fly out after 27April. If I'm spending 3.5 weeks there (counting 30ish hour flights each way from Australia and jetlag) it won't leave me much block time for non-Clontarf sightseeing. Hoping to spend a few days in London too.

Count me in for the living history camp (non-combatant). If I get my tax return in this week I should have the money for the plane fare back in a couple of weeks.

Part of what we are hoping to do (certainly with the Killaloe element) is to somehow facilitate trips to stuff in the area in the couple of days around the event itself. Not sure exactly how that would run i.e. roadtrip with shared petrol or something more formal.You may also find yourself in the National Museum of Ireland in Kildare street.For London have a look at aer lingus And Ryanair as options. Aer Lingus is better on luggage, Ryanair can be cheaper but cost of getting from airport to central london is higher.

brendan wrote:Part of what we are hoping to do (certainly with the Killaloe element) is to somehow facilitate trips to stuff in the area in the couple of days around the event itself. Not sure exactly how that would run i.e. roadtrip with shared petrol or something more formal..

That would be good. Definitely want to see that place where Dave works....and have a paddle in a coracle (Note to self: learn to swim), and, um, and, um, LOTS OF THINGS!

brendan wrote:You may also find yourself in the National Museum of Ireland in Kildare street.

I don't think that's in any doubt. Getting me OUT without using big burly policemen with clubs will be the issue.

brendan wrote:For London have a look at aer lingus And Ryanair as options. Aer Lingus is better on luggage, Ryanair can be cheaper but cost of getting from airport to central london is higher.

Pretty sure I'll have to go via London both ways. Webjet draws a blank when I tell it Melbourne-Dublin.